Today we’d like to introduce you to Mackenzie Labine & Rachel Girard.
Hi Mackenzie & Rachel, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
We both worked and lived in Minneapolis in the early 2000s, Mackenzie as a stylist and Rachel as an artist. Mackenzie specialized in hair extensions and vivids.
Mackenzie worked with Sonia, the owner of Hair Police, which she founded in 1985 and is known for accepting every style and personality on the planet her is where Mackenzie and Rachel met. Mackenzie was touring doing hair in NYC and on the west coast with Sonia, whom we owe our obsession for extensions and the creative lifestyle our industry brings. Rachel moved to the west coast and assisted Sonia with her hair tour after finishing hair school. Rachel eventually moved back to the twin cities and became one of Mackenzie’s best clients and friends.
(If you don’t know about Sonia Peterson and how she changed Minneapolis for the better, ask anyone who knew her. We were lucky enough to learn from her and work with her. And travel with her before her passing in the mid-2000s.). She was a leader and a powerhouse of motivation and positive energy.
In 2016 Mackenzie was running her studio salon at the time, and Rachel was a dollmaker and painter back in Minneapolis. She decided she wanted to get back to “working with living people,” so she asked Mackenzie if she would partner with her and start a salon together. Rachel was already in the middle of the NE arts district in the Northrup King Building, we were lucky enough to score a first-floor space that had just opened, and we renovated it, adding plumbing, lighting, and all of the salon equipment needed. The style was a mix of Rachel’s flair for dark vintage, rococo, and decor with a little Alice in wonderland twist thrown in from Mackenzie’s brain. Half salon and half art gallery, we are here to provide all forms of art. Wild Hare Salon and Gallery was born.
We have grown a ton since we opened. We started with 2 chairs; now, we have 8, and a mix of renters and commission stylists. Each one of our stylists has its own skill set and specialty. If you’re looking for extensions, we are the place for you. We are almost all Bellami certified and strive to be a leader and the ones to trust in this industry. We have talented vivids and blonding professionals, and we can give you a killer cut or hook you up with your dream dreadlocks! Whatever you want to do, we’ve got you!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Honestly, no, most people are aware of the shutdown in 2020. We didn’t end up taking the PPP loan, and we had just renovated the salon to bring in 4 new stylists, so we were bleeding money, and then the shutdown happened. We were out of our regular income and had To pay our rent in our space for 3 months. And all of the other bills to keep the business afloat. We didn’t get a break from our home rentals or mortgage bills either, so it was a little touch and went for a second, But we pulled it together and managed to be one of the lucky ones that made it through the pandemic.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We strive to be an all-inclusive and welcoming space for everyone. We are even Strand for Trans certified and queer-owned. Our space is different than most salons you will go to. We have a mix of the beautiful, the macabre, and all of the other eccentricities you would expect from a couple of artists turned hairstylists. We can pull off a beautiful natural sunkissed blonde or give you a neon green shag, whatever your heart desires. Whatever you dream up is possible in our hands. We specialize in extensions, dreadlocks, braids, and tough color corrections. Things most other salons would turn away. We are huge on education and even have a couple of house educators to keep everyone up to date on the latest techniques and trends.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those just starting.
I would say make sure you have a little nest egg saved. It’s amazing how many things you must pay for when starting a business. We had to pay a small fortune to the city alone just for using the sewer systems to start a salon/barbershop. There were so many small changes here and there, and it was a little daunting. We hired a CPA and a Lawyer to help us with our legal documents and financial paperwork. Legal jargon can sound like a different language! We are more artist brained, so it was beneficial to have them a phone call away when we needed them. If you want to start a hair biz, keep moving in the direction you’re headed, and there’s no way you won’t succeed. You will figure it all out on the way.
Pricing:
- Haircuts 45-75
- Colors $75-350+
- Extensions prices vary
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.schedulicity.com/scheduling/HDVGZE?fs=e&s=cl
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/wildharesalonandgallery?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/wildharesalonandgallery/events
Image Credits
All done by Wild Hare stylists
